Bicycle gear shifting systems include a shifting device connected by a cable within a tube to a gear changing device such as a derailleur or an internal gear hub. Such devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,476,019, 5,524,501, and 5,662,000, also owned by the assignee of this invention, and are incorporated herein. In conventional bicycle gear shifting systems, the spacing of the detent notches is generally dictated by the gear changing mechanism used. Typically, a gear changing mechanism that doubles the spacing of the detent notches may double the stroke of the pointer along the display of a gear indicator, thereby lengthening the display window. It is therefore beneficial to create a gear indicator mechanism allowing control of the stroke of the pointer along the display regardless of the particular gear changing mechanism used.